Uproar over participation of controversial authors in NBT’s Ahmedabad International Book Festival

December 02, 2024
Ahmedabad Gujarat India

Ahmedabad: The National Book Trust is organizing the Ahmedabad International Book Festival in the city in collaboration with Amdavad Municipal Corporation, but Twitter is abuzz with the participation of controversial authors in the event. People are taking to Twitter to point out that invited guests like William Dalrymple is known for being behind the ‘withdrawal of a book on the Delhi riots’ and for appealing to ‘Britain not to return looted items’ to India.

One user named Harshil wrote, “A known Mughal apologist and Hindutva hater is invited to #AIBF2024. Has government forgot his role in calling off Delhi Riots book? Or his appeal to Britain not to return looted items?”

Author Shefali Vaidya also took to X and wrote, “I am SO tired of fighting this. Every two months, some BJP state govt or some institution under the Ministry of Culture, GoI, or Ministry of Education invite absolute Hindu-hating scum like Gargantuan Willy to taxpayer funded function. What’s the desperate desire to patronise the very people who despise you is something I have NEVER understood!”

One user in a detailed tweet said, “Ahmedabad International Book Festival, an event organized using taxpayers’ money from Ahmedabad and Gujarat…
In this event, Amdavad Municipal Corporation and National Book Trust have invited a known anti-Hindu and anti-India figure who openly insults Hindus. This William Dalrymple is the same anti-India personality who appealed against returning artifacts looted from India by Britain.

He is also the one who prevented the release of a book on the Delhi riots. It’s unclear which “great intellectuals” in the municipality or administration suggested inviting such controversial individuals.Along with boycotting this event, there should be an investigation into who recommended the name of such an anti-national individual. Every responsible person and official involved should be publicly named.”

Sharing screenshots of the tweets by William Dalrymple, another user commented, “Cancel Anti-Modi and anti-hindu william dalrymple book launch in Ahmedabad, Any BJP Leader participating must be boycotted”

Another person said, “How does it happen again and again? Ten years in power and the government is still clueless. From serial abuser Devdutt Pattnaik to so many others, the ministries of culture and education have been the most disappointing.”

Another user also pointed out the other controversial speaker that have been invited to AIBF said, “Along with Dalrymple, there are other shocking names invited at #AIBF2024. Savie Karnel: Her book on Babri Mosque destruction peddles usual secular propaganda Kiran Manral: Promotes the usual nonsense of EVMs bad.. Uddhav good.. Hindutva-Pop bad.. Gaza genocide.. Modi autocratic.. June 4 is a lesson to Modi.. New Parliament inauguration is mimicry.. Why need diyas in Ayodhya..Tired of raising these things again and again. How difficult can it be to vet a person’s background, if regular folks like us can do it? You invite Nadav Lapid who comes to your country and calls your films on the genocide of Hindus a propaganda while a minister is sitting in the audience. You invite Devdutt Pattnaik at Youth Fest who is a serial abuser of our Devi-Devtas and Sanatan Dharma. You can’t fix the website of ASI or the Ministry of Culture. You take pride in the fact that “we haven’t changed a word” in the NCERT History textbooks. When will those responsible for such things be held accountable? And who will fix this accountability? ”

Another user, Vijay Gajera, tagged Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and MoS Home Harsh Sanghvi, and said “I request @CMOGuj @sanghaviharsh Bhai to look into this and cancel the invitation of anti-India and anti-Hindu William Dalrymple. Also, I request to investigate which officer has invited him without his background check.”

#National Book Fair Amdavad

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